This invention relates to an improvement in two-handled shovels and particularly snow shovels. The basic concept of two-handed shovels is known and most provide the advantage of decreasing the amount of bending required by the user and, accordingly, the potential strain placed on the user's body including both his or her back and heart. This can also result in less stress on the user's body and thus potentially his or her heart. Two-handed shovels also provide a more favorable position of the left hand which initially does the bulk of the inertial movement and subsequent lifting of the load from its rest position rather than far down on the shaft of a conventional shovel which requires the user to assume an undesirable crouch position.
Examples of such devices proposed in the past include shovel constructions described in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,050,728 to Davidson issued Sep. 27, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,096 to Barnett issued Apr. 28, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,553 issued Oct. 7, 1986 to Hultine; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,541 to Waldschmidt issued Jul. 31, 1990. All these devices provide the basic necessary constructional features of two-handled shovel operation, that is, the provision of two handles with one longer than the other and one of which is attached to a scoop or blade and wherein the smaller handle is mounted for at least some pivotal movement within a plane generally normal to the main handle and the blade most commonly attached thereto. While these devices generally accomplish their overall purpose of reducing bending and to some extent user's strain while performing tasks such as snow shoveling and the like, their use is not as comfortable or as flexible in managing various shoveling tasks as is a conventional shovel.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to present a two-handled shovel of the type above discussed which not only incorporates the features of basic two-handed shovels but additionally operates with a degree of flexibility equal to or greater than normal one-handled shovels.
An additional object of the present invention is to present an improved two-handled shovel construction which enables loads such as scoops of snow to be freely dumped as by the rotational movement of the main handle and blade which is normally associated with such tasks.
A still further object of the present invention is to present a two-handled shovel construction which affords the above-indicated advantages and yet which is easy to use and inexpensive to provide.
These and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by a two-handled shovel comprising a rigid primary handle terminating in a grip at one end and a shovel blade fixedly attached thereto at the opposite second end thereof, connection means mounted on said primary handle proximal to said shovel blade and a rigid secondary handle shorter in length than said primary handle and in turn terminating in a hand grip at one end and attached to said connection means at the opposite second end thereof, said connection means including a bushing longitudinally positioned on said primary handle and having an internal bore adapted to receive said primary handle and permit essentially unlimited rotary movement of said handle with respect to said bushing, said secondary handle second end in turn pivotally connected to said bushing for relative arcuate motion of said second handle towards and away from said primary handle wherein the operator of said shovel may liftingly support a shovel blade load by said secondary handle while simultaneously swinging and rotating said blade via said primary handle to remove said load therefrom.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.